Into the Twilight
by Midna3452
Summary: A look into the Twilight Realm before the start of Twilight Princess. Spoilers if you haven't finished the game! Slightly one-sided ZantXMidna


**A/N: Hey everyone! Okay, just fyi, this fic is a different style of writing than I'm used to. This fic is supposed to be a more serious fic when I'm used to writing humor fics, so it might not be the best. I just came up with the idea for this story during my history class and I thought it was a good idea so I decided to give it a try. But enough of my babbling. On with the story!**

**Into the Twilight**

"Zant! Give me back my liran!" Midna yelled, running through yet another hallway in her enormous palace. She was chasing after the boy that had stolen her liran, the Twili's equivalent of an iPod.

"Gotta catch me first!" Zant called going around another corner. He was one of the taller of the Twilis, overshadowing the Princess by a few inches. He was very pale for a Twili, and he had big, vibrant, orange eyes. He was wearing the traditional garb of a servant: a simple pair of pants and a shirt with symbols on them that showed that he was a servant of the Princess and her family.

"Zant, I order you to stop right this instant!" the Princess yelled. Zant, not being known to ignore an order shouted by the Princess, skidded to a halt. Midna, not being able to stop, ended up crashing into him and making them both fall over. Midna grabbed her liran from one of Zant's hands and put the other one behind his back.

"Say 'uncle!'" she commanded, pulling his arm into a weird angle.

"Ow! Uncle! Uncle!" Zant cried, and Midna released him.

"Don't you ever take my liran again, do you hear me?!" Midna asked, standing up and crossing her arms in front of her.

"Yes, Princess. Sorry Princess," Zant apologized, getting up and putting a hand over his chest and bowing. Midna rolled her eyes.

"Oh, stop it! You know you don't need to be so formal," Midna said.

"Yes Princess," Zant replied.

"And I told you to call me Midna!"

"Yes Princess- I mean, _Midna_."

Midna glared at him for a moment, before shaking her head and smiling slightly.

"You're getting on my nerves. I'm going to go have breakfast," she said, turning and walking towards the dining hall.

"Yes Princess. I shall accompany you," Zant said, starting to follow her.

"Knock it off!"

"Yes Princess."

***

It was well known throughout the Twilight Realm the Zant and Princess Midna were best friends. She was really the only one that considered him as something more than a servant, except for maybe her father on occasion. Zant was also the King's most trusted advisor. He had worked for the royal family all of his life, and it was rare that he was seen without the Princess by his side. He was the closest of Midna's friends, mainly because they had grown up together and he was only a few years older than her.

Zant was also confident that _he_ was next in line for the throne, even though Midna was the Princess. He didn't see how Midna could be picked to rule the Twilight Realm over him, seeing as he did the most work out of everyone in the palace, except for maybe the King.

Yes, Zant and Midna were the closest of friends. In fact, they were so close that some of the children that ran by the palace on occasion as they were playing a game even thought Zant and Midna were brother and sister, they were together so often. But, Zant thought of Midna as much more than a sister. The other servants that worked in the palace knew that he had feelings for her; they noticed how downcast he would be when she was not home or when she had other things to attend to instead of just hanging out with him.

Midna, however, didn't share those feelings. She remained blissfully unaware of the little things Zant did that suggested that he felt more about her than what he was saying, choosing to focus her attention more on her duties as a Princess rather than noticing the little sad sighs Zant let out as she left to go inspect her soon-to-be kingdom. However, Zant had a plan to win the throne _and_ the Princess' heart: when he was elected to be the next King, he would pick Midna to rule along side him, and they would live happily ever after forever and ever.

Too bad it wouldn't work out that way.

***

"Zant, about tomorrow . . .," Midna said, stopping in the middle of her room. She and Zant had been relaxing after a hard day's work, until Midna had gotten up and started pacing.

"What about it?" Zant replied, and Midna bit her lip. He knew something was bothering her; she only paced when she was anxious about something.

"I . . . I don't know if I'm ready," Midna said, walking over to sit on the edge of the bed next to Zant.

"Ready for what? The coronation? Don't be nervous! It will be fine." Zant took one of Midna's hands and started rubbing soothing circles on the back of it. Midna sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder.

"I can't help it!" she groaned. "I mean, it's a lot of responsibility to take on, and I don't know if I've had enough training . . ."

"Well, maybe the King will pick someone else." _Like me_, Zant thought.

"Ha! Yeah, right! Who else would he pick? I'm his only child!"

"Well, it doesn't _have_ to be someone from the royal blood line . . ." Midna picked her head up and looked at him with one eyebrow raised.

"Oh yeah? Then who else would he pick? You?" she questioned. Zant immediately stopped rubbing her hand and looked down.

"Well, he _could_ . . ." Zant mumbled. Midna sighed again.

"Zant, we've been over this. As much as you deserve it, he's not going to pick you. That's just the way things work."

"Yeah, I know," Zant sighed. "But, as for you, I'm sure if you found someone to help you rule the Twilight Realm then it would make your job a lot easier."

"Ugh, I don't even want to _think_ about that. Besides, all the guys around here are extremely asinine. Well, except for you. You're just slightly asinine."

"Asinine?" Zant questioned. This was one of the few things Midna did that bugged him. She learned all these knew words from her home school and she used them around him frequently, just to get on his nerves since she knew he didn't understand them.

"It means stupid," Midna replied.

"Oh . . . hey- wait a minute!"

"Wow, you catch on fast," Midna laughed as Zant narrowed his eyes at her. "But back to the topic. It _would_ make it easier if I had someone to help me . . . you know, someone to tell me if my ideas are great or just plain stupid . . . hey, what about you?!"

"M-me?!" Zant squeaked. _Yes, _Zant thought. _I _knew_ she felt the same way about me! It'll be great! Just her and me, ruling over the Twilight Realm and-_

"Yeah, you could be my advisor instead of my father's! You could help me come up with ideas and stuff. It'll be fun!"

"Oh . . . you want me to be your advisor . . .," Zant said, his face falling.

"Only if you want to be. I won't pressure you," Midna said.

"Of course I'll do it. It would be an honor," Zant replied, forcing a smile.

"Alright, great! Thanks, Zant. You're a true friend," Midna said, smiling warmly at him. Zant couldn't help but to put on a real smile this time.

"Well, I should probably be getting to bed. After all, the coronation _is_ tomorrow, and I don't think it'd look good if the Princess were to fall asleep . . .," Midna said.

"No, that wouldn't be good at all," Zant said, chuckling as he walked towards the door.

"Goodnight Zant!"

"Farewell Princess." Zant bowed and then opened the door, quickly running out into the hallway as a pillow was sent flying towards his head. He shut the door and started walking down the hallway, smiling to himself as he thought about tomorrow.

***

_The next day . . ._

Zant was standing next to the throne in the main part of the palace. He had on his best clothes: a long cloak with blue and black stripes, the main colors of the Twili; a pair of high shoes that made him even taller than the Princess; and a long, flowing cape that came down past his fingers that had intricate designs on it symbolizing his position as advisor to the King. He was all ready to be announced as the next ruler of the Twili, and he was daydreaming about what it would be like when the doors to the hall opened and the Princess strode in.

"Wow, Midna, you look . . . beautiful," Zant said as she walked over to stand next to him. She was wearing her favorite outfit that had been given to her by her cousin a few years ago. It consisted of a not-so-subtle black top, a skirt that was open all the way up to her thigh on one side, and a long cloak that bore the symbols of the royal family on the back.

"Thanks, Zant," Midna replied, smiling, and Zant smiled back. Their heads turned to the platform the throne was on as the King stepped onto it and began to speak.

"Alright, quiet down, quiet down! I know you are all excited, but let's actually get _through_ the ceremony before we all start talking about it, okay? Now, you all know that this is a very special day in our realm. It is the day when the next ruler of the Twili will be chosen, the person who will rule over our realm with a kind and noble heart. It is a great honor to be chosen . . ."

The King droned on as Zant tuned out the rest of his speech. He had heard it already. After all, _he_ was the one who helped the King write it. Instead, he chose to focus on the Princess standing next to him.

_Ah, how I've waited for this day_, he thought. _Finally I will be able to tell Midna how I really feel. Plus, I'll get to be King! How great will that be?! _I'll_ get to be waited on for a change . . ._

Zant was snapped out of his thoughts as Midna elbowed him after she'd caught him staring at her.

"Sorry! I just . . . spaced out for a minute there," Zant whispered, rubbing his arm where she'd poked him.

"Shh! He's going to announce the next ruler!" Midna whispered back impatiently, and then she turned to look at her father again.

"And the next ruler of the Twilight Realm is . . ."

Zant closed his eyes and grinned, waiting for the King to call his name . . .

" . . . Princess Midna!"

The crowd cheered as Midna walked over to her father. Zant opened his eyes and his face fell as he saw the ceremonial crown being placed on her head.

"What?" he whispered, not quite believing what he was seeing.

"What is it, Zant?" Midna asked as the crowd died down and she saw his face.

"WHAT?!" Zant screamed at the top of his lungs, and everyone took a step back.

"Why are you yelling?! What's wrong?!" Midna questioned, concerned. Zant met her eyes and his expression turned to one of pure hatred.

"_I _WAS SUPPOSED TO GET THE CROWN!" he screamed. "HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY HAVE GOTTEN PICKED OVER ME?! YOU NEVER _DO_ ANYTHING! YOU'RE JUST A LAZY PRINCESS WHO CAN'T DO ANYTHING FOR HERSELF! I'VE WORKED FOR YOU MY ENTIRE LIFE, CATERING TO YOUR EVERY WHIM AND WHAT DO I GET?! _NOTHING!_" Zant stood there for a moment, fuming, before turning and running out of the palace doors. He ran over to the platform that looked out over the entire realm and sunk to his knees.

"Oh, Gods, what have I done now?!" he asked himself, putting his head in his hands. "I made a complete fool of myself! Not to mention I yelled at Midna! She probably hates me now!" He started sobbing.

"It's not fair! It's not fair! It's not fair!" he yelled, pounding his fist on the ground. He looked up suddenly as he heard a low humming noise. He stood up and let out a small "oh" sound as he saw a giant bubble that's color reminded him of a fire hovering a few feet in front of him. All he could do was stand and watch as the bubble engulfed him. He saw a face appear in front of him.

"I shall house my power in you," the face said. "Anything you desire I shall desire as well."

Zant only had time to blink before the face came towards him and then everything went black.

***

"What was _that_ all about?!" the King asked as Midna stared openmouthed at the door Zant had just gone through.

"I think he finally cracked . . .," someone in the crowd said.

"He did not _crack_!" Midna snapped, glaring at the person who had made the comment. "Can't you see he was upset?! I'm gonna go find him." She started to walk towards the door, but her father grabbed her arm.

"Midna, you can't leave right in the middle of your coronation!" he exclaimed. "Just give him some time to calm down and he'll be back."

"That won't work this time! He's never been _this_ upset before!"

"I'm sure if we just wait-"

"No, you don't understand! I have known him all my life, and in all that time he's never once yelled at me, even when I could tell he wanted to! Look, I _know_ this coronation is important, but I need to go and talk to him! _Please_, Dad?"

The King looked at his daughter's pleading eyes and sighed.

"Alright, go. Just hurry back so we can finish the ceremony!"

"Thank you!" Midna gave her father a quick hug.

"I won't be long!" she called as she ran towards the door. The King watched as the door swung shut after her, never imagining that this would be the last time he would ever see his daughter.

***

When Zant woke up, all he saw was darkness. He stood up and rubbed his head, but he found a strange helmet sitting on his shoulders.

"How the heck did this thing get on?!" Zant said to himself.

_Will it to disappear, and it will do so,_ said an unfamiliar voice in the back of his mind.

"What the hell?! Who are you?! And how are you talking to me?!" Zant questioned, trying to find the source of the voice, but all he saw was the inside of the helmet.

_My name is not important . . . just think of me as your God,_ replied the voice.

"My _God?_ I have my own God now?! Oh, this is getting too weird. I'm just gonna go back inside and hope Midna doesn't hate me . . ."

_Go back inside? Why would you want to do that?! They don't understand you. They don't know how hard you've worked to make their lives run smoothly. They laughed in your face when you told them you wanted to be King. Do you really want to go back to those people?_

"Well, I don't know what else I can do . . ."

_I know of something. With my help, you can take that position that you've wanted all your life! With my help, no one can stand in your way! You can have whatever you want, as long as you listen to what I say._

"How can I trust you? What if something happened to me? I mean, the King has thousands of guards . . . it would be pretty hard to get past them."

_If, somehow, you were to fail, I would bring you back._

"Do you really mean that? Could you _really_ bring people back from the dead?!"

_I have a special gift granted to me by the Goddesses of another realm. With this gift, I can do anything, even wake the dead._

"Then . . . maybe you _could_ help me! With your power, I could take down the Royal family and secure my rightful place as ruler of the Twilight Realm!" Zant stood up. "But first . . . how do you take this helmet off again?"

_If you will it to come off, then it will come off._

"Okay, that sounds easy enough . . ." Zant closed his eyes and wished for the helmet to be gone. He felt a whoosh of air as the helmet slid back and seemed to disappear into his cloak.

"Hey, cool!"

_Focus on your mission . . . now just march in there and demand to be made ruler of your realm. I'll do the rest._

Zant willed the helmet to come back into place and his mouth turned into a creepy grin as he did so. He felt so . . . alive, so . . . evil. He liked this new feeling. I felt like he had the power to do anything. Did he really used to feel compassion for these people- the ones that had laughed at him and told him his dreams were stupid?

Just as he turned towards the palace, he saw Midna running out of the doors and calling his name.

"Midna . . .?" Zant said, taking off the helmet to look at her. There she was, skipping her own coronation to come and look for him . . .

_What do you need her for?_ The voice in the back of Zant's mind said. _She was one of the people who laughed at you! You know it's hopeless- she will never love you back, you've always known that. You have to let her go._

"How am I supposed to do that?!" Zant snapped.

_There is only one way to truly be rid of her- you must destroy her._

"What?!" Zant whispered, watching from the shadows as the Princess looked around for any sign of him.

_You must get rid of her. After all, she _is _part of the royal family. She's one of the people that will stand in your way- one of the people that will defy you. The others will be easy to control- it's the royal family and their guards who you need to watch out for. This is the only way to secure your position as King- get rid of the royal family._

"Yes . . . it's the only way . . ." Zant put the helmet on and realized he could now see out of the eyeholes. He started to walk towards the Princess, as if in a trance, only focusing on one thing: getting the throne. And if that meant that he had to destroy the one person that cared about him, the one person he loved, then so be it.

***

"Zant! Zant, where are you?!" Midna called, walking along the platform. She had been searching for him for a few minutes and she still hadn't found any sign of where he'd gone. She walked over to the balcony to see if she could spot him on one of the floating platforms below. Suddenly, she felt a chill run up her spine. She whirled around to find the very person she was looking for standing behind her.

"Oh my Goddesses, Zant, don't _do_ that! You scared me!" Midna said, putting her hand over her heart as she tried to make it slow down again. She put her hand down and looked at Zant quizzically.

"Um, where did that helmet come from?"

"It was given to me by my God," Zant replied, and Midna noticed his voice sounded somehow . . . different.

"You're _God_? Okay . . . anyways, listen Zant, I'm sorry you didn't get picked, but we both knew this was coming."

"No, _I_ should have been picked!"

"Yes, I know you think that, but . . . can you take the helmet off? It's kind of hard to talk to you when I can't see your face." Midna let out a slight gasp as the helmet came off and she saw Zant's eyes. They looked hollow and distant, but what really made her gasp was the lust for power burning in them. It was a lust that she knew in the back of her mind had always been there, just never had it been so strong.

"Zant . . . what happened to you?!" Midna asked.

"My God has granted me the power I need to take control of this Realm," Zant replied. His eyes were on her face, but the Princess could tell that he wasn't really seeing her; his mind was somewhere else.

"_Take control_? What are you talking about?!" Midna said, starting to get a bad feeling about staying out here with him. Her instincts were telling her to run, but she ignored them. _I have to figure out what's wrong with him . . . _she thought.

"As I've said before, it is _my_ right to rule this realm, and nothing can stand in my way!" Zant yelled. He raised his arm and started to walk towards her.

"Hey, what are you doing?! Stop!" Midna yelled as she held up her hand in front of her face in a feeble attempt to protect herself as she backed away from Zant. She let out a yell as he swiped at her and sent her crashing to the ground.

A moment later she opened her eyes. She picked her head up and held it where she had landed on it. She glanced down and saw a very small hand propping her up.

"What the hell?!" she exclaimed as she picked up the hand and realized that it was indeed hers. She screamed as she looked down and saw that she had somehow shrunk, and whatever designs that had been on her clothes were now on her skin.

"_What have you done to me?!_" she screamed at Zant as she looked up at him. If she had thought he was tall before, it was nothing compared to this. She snarled at him when he just stood there staring at her openmouthed, and she noticed with slight horror that she now had fangs.

"What _have_ I done to you . . .?" Zant said to himself.

_You still feel compassion for her,_ said the voice in Zant's head. _That is why you could not destroy her. You must forget all your feelings for her!_

"I . . . I can't," Zant replied, looking down at the ground, ashamed at what he had just done.

"Hey! Are you ignoring me or did you just forget I was here?!" Midna snapped. "I don't know what you did you me, but you'd better fix it _now_!"

_See how she treats you? She treats you like a servant! You know that you are much more than that! If you let her live, that's how you will be treated for the rest of your life! Is that what you want to happen?!_

"Well, no, but-" Zant started to say, but the voice cut him off.

_Look at her. She's nothing but a little imp now! Do you really want her to spend the rest of her days like this?_

"Surely there must be _some_ way to change her back . . ."

_Not that_ I _know of. Why don't you put her out of her misery? If you don't believe she's unhappy, why don't you ask her yourself?_

"Midna, are you happy?" Zant asked, looking at Midna.

"HAPPY?! AM I HAPPY?!" Midna screeched so loud that Zant winced and took a slight step back. "DOES IT LOOK LIKE I'M HAPPY?! I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL YOUR PROBLEM IS, BUT YOU NEED TO TURN ME BACK INTO MYSELF NOW OR SO HELP ME I WILL HAVE YOU ARRESTED AND TAKEN DOWN TO THE DUNGEONS UNTILL YOU FIX THIS!"

"The_ dungeons_?!" Zant exclaimed. "I thought you told me you would never send me down there!"

"That was before you turned me into this . . . thing!"

"That still doesn't change the fact that you promised me that no matter what I did, you would never send me into the dungeons!"

"Things change, Zant! I never imagined you would go insane and put a curse on me!"

"Oh, so now _I'm_ insane?!"

"What the hell does _that _mean?!"

"You never really cared about me, did you?! All those times you said I was your friend, you were lying, weren't you?!"

"But Zant, you _are_ my friend! Or at least, you _were_ my friend . . . something has happened to you and I'm going to find out what it is! But you need to turn me back into myself for me to do that!"

"I don't need any help!"

"Yes, you _do_! Don't you see?! I only want to find out what's wrong so you can get back to normal!"

"I SAID I DON'T NEED ANY HELP!" Zant screamed, and Midna cringed as she saw a glowing ball of energy appear in his hands. He raised his hands high above her head, and then he paused.

_What are you waiting for?! Now is the time to get rid of her!_

"I can't!" Zant yelled back to the voice as he saw Midna sitting on the ground, staring up at him with wide eyes.

_Yes you can! It's so easy! Just shoot the blast at her head and it will surely be the end of her! _

"No!"

_Destroy her now!_

"No!"

_DO IT NOW!_

"NO!"

Midna screamed and ducked as Zant threw the blast. It flew harmlessly over her head and exploded against the railing of the balcony. Midna picked her head up and looked at Zant warily.

"Go," he said, looking away from her gaze.

"Excuse me?!"

"I SAID GO!" Zant yelled, whirling around to face her. Midna jumped as she saw the hatred on his face.

"Fine, I'll go," she said, standing up. "But don't think this is the last you've seen of me, Zant! I swear, I'll do whatever it takes to find out what's wrong with you!"

"It's too late," Zant said sadly, looking down again. "No one can help me now . . ."

"Well I'm going to try! But even if I _do_ find out a way to help you, don't think I'll forget what you've done to me!"

"Midna, just go . . ."

"As soon as I find a way to get back to normal, I'm coming back for you and-"

"I SAID LEAVE NOW, UNLESS YOU WANT ANOTHER ENERGY BLAST SENT TOWARDS YOUR HEAD!" Zant yelled. "AND NEXT TIME I WON'T MISS!"

Midna only had a few seconds to decide what to do before Zant had a new glowing ball of light in his hands. Going against her will, she turned and fled. She ran for a few moments before she tripped and almost fell, but she was shocked when she started to float in midair. She flew around the palace and landed on the platform near the Twilight Mirror.

"What have I done?" she asked herself as she walked dejectedly towards the Mirror. "I'm abandoning my own people! Aw, who am I kidding?! I don't know what to do with Zant . . . no one would believe me if I went into the palace looking like this . . . they'd probably think I was some kind of monster and lock me in the dungeon . . ." She stopped and dropped onto her hands and knees. Suddenly, she remembered something . . .

***

_Flashback: Three years earlier . . ._

"Hey Midna, wait up!" Zant called, running to catch up with her as she walked down the hallway. Midna turned around and stopped to wait for him.

"What's up, Zant?" she asked when he reached her.

"Midna . . . hold on one second," Zant said, pausing to get his breath back. He straightened up after a moment looked at her.

"Your father told me to go put this in the vault with all the other sacred possessions, but I'd feel much better if you kept it," Zant said, taking out what appeared to be a headdress and holding it in the palm of his hand.

"Is that . . . is that the Fused Shadow?!" Midna exclaimed, staring at the thing in Zant's hand.

"Well, part of it . . ."

"Where's the rest of it?"

"I put the pieces somewhere where no one can find them."

"And just where _is_ that exactly?"

"In the Light Realm."

"You went into the Light Realm?!" Midna exclaimed. "Zant, you know you're not supposed to go there! You could have gotten hurt!"

"I know, but I wanted to put the pieces somewhere where it would be impossible to find them," Zant explained.

"Why, is there a plot to steal my throne or something?" Midna joked, crossing her arms in front of her.

"No! I just . . . want you to be safe in case anything _does_ happen! I don't want you to get hurt . . ."

"Okay, well, thank you Zant. I'll take this with me," Midna said, taking the Fused Shadow from Zant's hands and putting in the strange invisible storage space the Twili seemed to have.

"Just in case you need it," Zant reminded her.

"Just in case I need it," Midna agreed.

***

_Back to the present . . ._

"Huh, I never thought I would actually have to use this thing . . .," Midna said, taking out the Fused Shadow and holding it in the palm of her hand. She watched as it floated up to hover in the air a few feet above her.

"Yes, with this I'll _definitely_ be able to get my throne back . . ." Midna's mouth turned up into a devilish smile. "Zant, you don't even know what's coming . . . you asked for a war, and that's what you're going to get!"

Midna got up and floated over to the portal. She paused for a brief second before stepping onto the platform and being whisked away into the Light Realm.

And with that, the Twilight Princess set off to find someone to help her defeat Zant and reclaim her throne.

* * *

**A/N: So, what did you think? Please review!**


End file.
